South African premiers are tapping into agriculture, as Africa’s largest employer, to boost their own provinces’ economies and to create jobs for young people in the marketplace. As the premiers of Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal and the Northern Cape delivered their respective State of the Province Addresses yesterday, they all found common ground in food production.
Tiisetso Manoko reports that Limpopo premier Stan Mathabatha zoomed into the much-awaited Lebowakgomo chicken abattoir which he expects to create 500 jobs. The abattoir is scheduled to start operating in June this year. It was built by the department of agriculture more than 10 years ago, but has never been fully functional.
The premier said that operating the abattoir was part of his government’s strategy to ignite broiler production and processing in the province. It forms part of various mega projects the administration plans to launch in the manufacturing, tourism and agriculture space.
“I can confirm that this state-of-the-art abattoir will finally start operating around June this year. This facility will open doors for aspirant and existing broiler producers in the province.
“It is expected that the opening of this abattoir will create around 500 jobs through the entire value chain. The facility will itself create 150 permanent jobs,” Mathabatha added.
The province furthermore plans to revitalise the agriculture and agro-processing value chain across the province, focusing on some key commodities and by ensuring “the transformation of the agricultural sector through the promotion and support of black producers in key commodity industries, increasing the participation of black producers in the domestic and export markets and broadening and increasing the participation of black producers in the agricultural value chain,” Mathabatha said.
The administration also committed to develop value chains around grain and cotton in Sekhukhune, vegetables in Mopani, red meat in Waterberg, and potatoes in Capricorn.
Reflecting on the past year, the Mogalatšane Irrigation Scheme had planted over 80 hectares of cotton and 30 hectares of dry beans in the 2020-21 planting season with the production season creating 50 seasonal jobs.
Red meat farmers on the Tweefontein communal land, in the Mogalakwena red meat cluster, were assisted with livestock infrastructure such as fencing, animal handling facilities and water source development.
KZN wants in on the ‘Green Rush’
Nicole Ludolph reports that KwaZulu-Natal premier Sihle Zikalala confirmed his province’s keenness to take advantage of the growing cannabis industry. Through the Moses Kotane Institute, the administration has produced a comprehensive study on the “Green Rush”.
The study is expected to serve as a guide to the province’s planning around the cannabis industry, and to make a substantial amount of land available for cannabis production. “This year, we will fast-track the implementation of the cannabis master plan,” Zikalala said.
The premier added that their work on agri-hubs continues. Sites identified for the development of four agri-hubs have been approved, subject to the environmental impact assessments and property valuations. The province is busy soliciting funding. “Some funding institutions have already expressed their appetite to partner with the provincial government on implementation.”
The red meat hub will be allocated in the Zululand district, while the wool, skin and meat treatment facility in the uThukela district.
The white meat hub will be on the border of the eThekwini and Umgungudlovu districts, the dairy hub will be in the Harry Gwala district, the fresh produce hub in the King Cetshwyao district and the grain hub in the Amajuba district.
Meanwhile, the Richard’s Bay Industrial Development Zone received over R5 billion in investment, Zikalala confirmed and added that a part of it is thanks to Wilmar Oil, an edible oil manufacturer.
“The facility will be operational by the end of this year. As part of value addition, this facility will provide farmers with a sustainable market to supply soya beans.”
Additionally, the Radical Agrarian and Socio-Economic Transformation (Raset) initiative, which was launched in 2017, is continuing to enact transformation in the agricultural value chain. The aim of the programme is to bring more black farmers into the sector.
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Food security and farmer support
Food For Mzansi journalist Tiisetso Manoko also reports that Northern Cape premier Zamani Saul gave an update on how veld fires had negatively impacted the farming sector. In many cases, farmers did not have feed for their livestock.
“The department assisted the affected farmers with fodder and other interventions. Working together with our rural communities, we will enhance our firefighting mechanism,” he said.
The administration was also aiming to provide as many households as possible with food, through security interventions and the Integrated Food Security and Nutrition Programme.
“Food insecure households received support during this financial year and this support included garden and poultry starter packs to encourage families to produce their own food,” he said.
He added that an amount of R22 million has been approved for the Vaalharts-Taung irrigation scheme, which could lead to job creation.
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